My name is Mia; I’m seventeen years old, and I’m from Jacksonville, FL. As a teenager you sometimes think you’re immortal and nothing bad can happen to you, but I know otherwise.

September 2009, I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. I have a desmoplastic small round cell tumor, and I’m currently undergoing chemotherapy, and radiation, and will undergo a surgery in April.

Since being diagnosed, cancer has changed my life in many ways. I can’t go to school as much as I would like to, and I can’t physically do everything my brain wants to do. Cancer had definitely changed my life, but not all of it is bad; having cancer brought my mom and me a lot closer. I have a single mom, and an older brother in college, so I realize how important education is. Unfortunately, it’s hard to stay focused and on track in school, because of all the doctor visits, hospital stays and sick days.

I hope that the Nicki Leach Foundation will grant me a gift.

I would like to get a Wii Fit Plus. I realize this is not a scholarship or something big, but it would help me just as much, by entertaining me on those days when I have to be cooped up in the house. It will also allow me to get some exercise without having to be in the sun. Cancer has given me a new respect for life, and I care for people more, because I see how important family really is. The gift of a Wii system from the Nicki Leach Foundation will allow my family and I to bond even more by playing games together.

I do hope you grant me this gift.

Sincerely,

Mia